eWaste Disposal And Recycling

Mark your calendars: It’s time to rid yourself of all those gadgets you can’t sell or don’t use anymore! Saturday, Oct. 30, is eWaste Disposal Day. This free event is sponsored by the University of Hawaii, and you can drop off your unwanted personal electronics for safe, guilt-free disposal.

“The accumulation of ewaste is a challenge to everyone, and improper disposal presents a variety of hazards to health and safety,” says David Lassner, UH vice president for information technology and chief information officer. “This is our third biennial opportunity to support the largest statewide ewaste disposal program in Hawaii, and is a great example of how the UH campuses are working together to advance sustainability around the state.”

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, electronic waste contributes 70 percent of the toxins found in U.S. landfills (lead, mercury, cadmium, etc.), while only contributing 2 percent of the volume of materials in landfills. Computers, cell phones, televisions and other electronics contain hazardous elements such as arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, germanium, lead, mercury, silver or zinc.

The university’s ewaste recycling program is designed to prevent these toxic materials from being released into our soil, ground-water and air. The drop sites will be open Oct. 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include John A. Burns School of Medicine, Leeward Community College, Windward Community College, UH Hilo, Kauai Community College, UH Maui College and Kealakehe High School on the Big Island.

Additionally, institutional drop-off will be offered Oct. 27-29 (9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.) for all schools/universities, city, county, state or federal/military branches in Hawaii, small- to mediumsized businesses (fewer than 100 employees) and nonprofit groups. If you need to make a drop-off as an institution, you must pre-register. All equipment collected will be processed in North America in an environmentally responsible way, and we can thank our friends at Apple for the recycling services.

For more information and before you load up your car, make sure to check the list of acceptable items: hawaii.edu/ewaste.

Kaimuki Community Clean Up Project

If you have more than just ewaste to recycle, you can take your items to Kaimuki High School this Saturday, Oct. 16 (8 a.m.-2 p.m.), as part of the monthly Aloha Aina Earth Day Project. Saturday’s project will raise funds for Kaimuki High School, Moiliili Community Center and the Kapahulu Center.